What is teratozoospermia?
Teratozoospermia (also called Teratospermia) refers to malformed shape of the sperms. Sperm morphology refers to the size and shape of the sperms and when the sperm morphology is defective, the condition is referred to as Teratozoospermia. When less than 4% of the sperms are in perfect shape, then the person is said to be suffering from Teratozoospermia condition.
In short, a sperm has a head, neck and a tail like structure. When any (or any two or all) of the parts are not well formed, the sperm may not be able to swim through the ejaculate and in the woman’s body to impregnate her resulting in male infertility.
Does teratozoospermia induce infertility in a man?
Yes, a malformed sperm will not be able to swim (roll) towards the egg and it may be incapable of penetrating through the egg’s outer layer. As a result, the sperms won’t be able to fertilize the egg leading to infertility.
Can teratozoospermia cause birth defects?
Teratozoospermia causing birth defects in babies is less likely. Teratozoospermia refers to the improper shape of the sperm but not to the chromosomes or genes carried by it to the egg. At the best, the malformed sperms won’t be able to reach the egg or fertilize it. But once the fertilization of egg occurs, the genetic material carried by it most often will not have any defects.
Can teratozoospermia cause miscarriage?
There aren’t enough studies to certainly say that teratozoospermia causes miscarriage. However, poor sperm quality has shown to cause miscarriages in 6% of the cases.
Can I get pregnant if my partner has teratozoospermia?
Yes, it is possible to get pregnant if your partner has teratozoospermia condition. If natural conception doesn’t happen, you may opt to go for IVF wherein the sexologist or gynecologist picks up the right sperm for the procedure.
Can stress cause teratozoospermia?
Yes, research has shown that stress can lower the production of sperms, affect the health of sperms and also cause defects in sperm morphology.
How is teratozoospermia treated?
- Most often, lower level of testosterone is the cause of teratozoospermia. The person would be put under HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) if that is found to be the cause.
- If all biological parameters are normal, then stress might be the cause of poor sperm quality. Your therapist will try to address it or recommend a good mental health expert.
- Varicocele may also cause defects in sperm morphology and if the person is exposed to toxins that harm the health of sperms, appropriate advice and treatment would be provided by the sexologist or gynaecologist.
How do you treat teratozoospermia naturally?
- Switching to healthy lifestyle including moving to a better diet, working out regularly, being active most of the time.
- Including fish in the diet can help improve the quality and production of sperms as it contains Omega-3 fatty acids.
- Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol
- Including vegetables and fruits containing vitamin E in your diet.
What causes teratozoospermia
- Lower levels of testosterone are found to be a major cause of decreased sperm production, lower sperm quality and malformed sperms (teratozoospermia).
- Stress can induce temporary defects in sperm production
- Varicocele can hamper sperm production and their quality.
- If you are exposed to harmful sperm toxins at work or home that can lead to teratozoospermia
What is astheno- teratozoospermia
Asthenezoospermia refers to a condition wherein the sperms are very weak and are unable to swim (roll) to the egg once released into the woman’s body during sex. Teratozoospermia is the condition wherein the morphology of sperms is affected. A combination of these two problems is termed as Astheno-teratozoospermia.
What is isolated teratozoospermia
Isolated Teratozoospermia refers to a condition when only less than 10% of the sperms are deformed and rest all are strictly fine in rest of the parameters such as count, motility and shape.
Can teratozoospermia be reversed
Yes. Teratozoospermia is reversible provided the causative factors are temporary and are due to imbalance of hormones or stress etc.
Is teratozoospermia permanent
If the teratozoospermia condition is not caused due to heredity or due to chemotherapy or radiation therapy, it is curable. If any of these afore mentioned conditions induced teratozoospermia, treatment may be difficult and the condition would remain kind of permanent.
Oligozoospermia with teratozoospermia
Oligozoospermia refers to the decreased count of sperms in the ejaculate (less than 15 million sperms per mL of semen). Oligozoospermia with teratozoospermia is not so good combination as this most often leads to male infertility.
Teratozoospermia ayurvedic treatment
Ayurveda claims to treat teratozoospermia with supplements like ‘Ashwagandha (Indian Ginseng)’ which is works like an antioxidant, adaptogenic and aphrodisiac natural supplement. Ashwagandha is also believed to reduce stress and anxiety in any individual.
